Subject: rec.pets.cats:  Norwegian Forest Cat  Breed-FAQ
Supersedes: <cats-faq/breeds/NFO_827207059@rtfm.mit.edu>
Date: 19 Apr 1996 05:19:23 GMT
X-Last-Updated: 1996/04/05

Posting-frequency: 30 days
URL: http://www.powertech.no/~bjornst/NFOfaq.html

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                      NORWEGIAN FOREST CAT - THE SKOGKATT
                                       
   
   
     _________________________________________________________________
   
   Like a small but beautiful version of the lynx, the Norwegian Forest
   Cat is part of Norway's fauna. For many of us, it is the faerie cat we
   chance upon while out in the wilderness. Proud - yes, of course - and
   with a good deal in it that is still wild, yet not aggressive, and
   quite prepared to be affectionate.
   
   Wegies, Norwegian Forest Cats, skaukatt - all names of that somewhat
   Maine Coon-like, medium-haired cat from Northern Europe. 'Skaukatt' is
   the Norwegian word for it, meaning literally Forest Cat. (Pronounce
   somewhat like scowcat but make the ow more like eow :-) It's not a
   wildcat, but a breed of the same species as all our domestic cats.
   Actually, the official name is Norsk Skogkatt/Norwegian Forest
   Cat/Norwegische Waldkatze/Chat des Bois Norvegien and 'skaukatt' used
   to be a derogatory term. 'Just a skaukatt'. Well, no more! In the
   following, the abbreviation NFO is used for this breed, it is defined
   in FIFe's EMS code. You'll find the code at Maria Gronberg's EMS page.
   
   
   
     _________________________________________________________________
   
History

   
   
   The skaukatt has been around for centuries. We know this because of
   cat descriptions in fairy tales that historians say are very old
   indeed. It has been described in a children's book in 1912, and the
   artist Olaf Gulbransson has a drawing of a grand champion type
   skaukatt in his autobiography - the drawing was made about 1910.
   
   (Note : I was born in 1942, and I remember well the large, long-furred
   cats of my childhood that the adults referred to as 'skaukatt' )
   
   The cat fancy in Norway got started as late as 1934, and not until
   1938 did anyone think of the skaukatt as a special breed. Then,
   suddenly, everybody had other priorities for a while.
   
   The skaukatt was almost forgotten until the beginning of the 1970's,
   when a group of fanciers started breeding programs in earnest. The
   people who had shown a few skaukatt in 1938 and got very favorable
   reactions from Danish and German judges, recruited some more breeders
   and got going.
   
   (The Norwegian National Association of Pedigree Cats, or Norske
   Rasekattklubbers Riksforbund (NRR), was founded as late as 1963, and
   some of the founders were very interested in the skaukatt.) FIFe
   international approval was given in 1976 and the cats started
   spreading out into the world. The first two cats exported were sold to
   Sweden, and the first wegies came to the US on November 29, 1979.
   (They were male Pan's Tigris, brown tabby, breeder Else Nylund, and
   female Mjavo's Sala Palmer, black and white, breeder Solveig
   Stenersrd, bought by Sheila Gira, Michigan, of Mycoon cattery. Thanks
   to the Clairs, Elsa and Susan Shaw for this info.)
   Side note: the cat breed is registered with the Department of Trade as
   exportable goods .. :-)
   
   All registered NFO cats are descended from Norwegian cats, with no
   outcrossing allowed. A possible exception is Finland, where novices
   were accepted until about 1992.
     _________________________________________________________________
   
Characteristics and temperament

   
   
   A skaukatt is a family member, like most cats. It is often a bit
   reserved with strangers, but usually gentle, friendly cats. Most are
   not lap cats. Maybe just as well, the males can weigh 10 kg.
   Head-bumping and chin-scratching is of course a must, but with some
   restraint - you don't have to pet them _all_ the time. He'll tell you,
   quietly, when it is needed. (If you ignore him, he'll get louder :-)
   
   They climb well, and I can confirm that they can even climb down from
   trees headfirst ... Sylvester just got down off a walnut tree where
   he'd been chasing a pigeon. There's also evidence that outdoor cats
   who live near streams _do_ fish !
     _________________________________________________________________
   
Description

   A relatively large cat, with hind legs longer than front legs. Double
   coat; a thick, woolly undercoat with a coarse, glossy overcoat.
   Triangular face, straight profile, tufted ears.
     _________________________________________________________________
   
Is this Breed for Me?

   Yes :-)
   
   If you like a cat that bonds to you and likes being with you,
   that is not overly demonstrative, needing to be petted and pampered
   most of your time, that doesn't talk all the time - only when
   something _needs_ to be said - that loves the outdoors - and can stand
   a cold climate, yet lives quietly indoors if you live in a place where
   that is necessary - that _looks_ like a cat should :-) (pardon me)
   yes, it's for you.
     _________________________________________________________________
   
Care and Training

   
   
   The semilong fur sometimes needs brushing and even combing, but mostly
   the cat can handle its fur on its own. It may need help in getting
   twigs and other debris out, though. The common wire brushes should be
   used when the cat is shedding, to help prevent hairballs. Otherwise,
   brush once or twice a week with a bristle brush. The fur _can_ get
   knotty and tangled, and you may have to use blunt scissors to get the
   nastiest knots out, but unlike some longhair breeds you don't need to
   brush & comb twice a day to avoid knots.
   
   Training ? Well, a breeder I know says she trains her cats to heel and
   takes them for walks -- mine have so far trained _me_ :-) except that
   they've learned very quickly to stay off tables and use only the
   approved scratching post. Other breeders also report that they train
   easily. Early literature claims that they are very intelligent cats. (
   One of my favourite kitten pictures shows a 3-weeks old kitten with
   the caption: Norwegian Forest Cat - long-legged, agile, intelligent
   and brave - but not quite yet.)
     _________________________________________________________________
   
Special Medical Concerns

   None that I know of. That is, none that apply specifically to NFOs.
   However:
   
   A well known and respected vet has warned breeders that we should not
   breed for longer noses any more. There is a definite risk of dental
   problems if this goes on. Likewise, careful about overbreeding for
   long tails, this can cause trouble at the joints between the
   vertebrae, even misshapen vertebrae.
     _________________________________________________________________
   
Frequently Asked Questions

  IS THIS A LARGE BREED ?
  
   
   
   Yes, medium to large. They don't seem to get quite as large as the
   Maine Coon, though, males generally weigh 6 to 10 kg and the females
   only half as much. This can be a hazard to the cat, we sometimes hear
   of cats that get shot at because they're mistaken for lynx -- seems
   those hunters need glasses if they can't see the cat's long tail. And
   lynx _are_ about twice as big ! ( That's 'Lynx lynx', weighing on the
   average 20 kg at a length of just over 1 m ). The conversion to US
   units is left as an exercise for the reader :-) Also note that the
   size varies widely.
   
  ARE THEY REALLY A NATURAL BREED ?
  
   Yes. Cats arrived in Norway probably around 1000 AD, and it is
   entirely possible that the ancestors of the skaukatt are Turkish
   longhairs - since several Byzantine emperors had Scandinavian guards -
   the vaeringer. Cats have been farm animals ever since, usually living
   outdoors with shelter wherever they could find it in the barns and
   stables. Possibly the skaukatt _evolved_ here, since it is very well
   adapted to such a life. There is speculation that the Maine Coon, the
   Siberian, the Turkish longhairs and the skaukatt are related, having a
   common ancestral basis somewhere, but this is still just speculation.
   It may equally likely be a case of parallel evolution under similar
   living conditions.
   
  IS IT TRUE THAT THEIR FUR IS WATERPROOF?
  
   For all practical purposes, yes, it is waterproof.
   Steve & Louise Clair, of Maineline Cattery, report:
   
   
   "Based on our experience of bathing a Forest Cat before a show...
   their top layer of fur is as close to waterproof as you can get. It is
   very hard to get the animal wet to the skin."
   
   This may be why a breeder friend of mine does not want cats with white
   paws. Normally she does not bathe the cats - but white paws on an
   outdoor cat _must_ be cleaned before a show :-)
   
  ARE THEY STRICTLY OUTDOOR CATS?
  
   No, they make perfectly good indoor cats. They do need room, though,
   being large, heavy cats - and parts of normal cat behavior indoors are
   those sudden rushes off in all directions, to work off energy.
   However, you should decide indoor/outdoor when you get your cat. A cat
   who has never been outside might be terrified to go out, and one who
   has lived outside for years might not want to stay indoors all the
   time !
   
  SO WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MAINE COON CATS AND NORWEGIAN FOREST CATS?
  
   The wegies are just a wee bit smaller. The Maine Coons are rectangular
   where the wegies have longer hind legs. The head shape is different,
   and there is a marked difference in the fur texture - the Maine Coons
   have a silky outer coat while the skaukatt have a coarse coat of quite
   stiff hairs. The agouti colors - i.e. the tabbies - seem to have a
   thicker, softer fur than the solid colored cats, unlike the Maine
   Coons who have the same texture for all patterns/colors. See also
   below, the Clairs have collected a concise list of differences.
     _________________________________________________________________
   
Recognition

   FIFe, GCCF, CFA, TICA, CCA, ACFA, AACE and maybe more!
   
Breed Associations/Clubs

   Norway
   Norsk Skogkattring
   Postboks 693 Sentrum
   N-0106 Oslo, Norway 
   
   Denmark
   Norsk Skovkattering 

   Sweden
   Skogkattslingan
   c/o Mikaela Karlsson
   Slipargrand 7, 2tr
   175 71 Jarfalla
   tel: +46 8 583 533 17 

   Finland
   Norjalainen
   Metsakissarengas ry
   Sari Ovaskainen
   Liisankuja 2 B 25
   SF-02230 Espoo, Finlande
   mail sari.ovaskainen@thk.fi 
   
   France
   CCFN
   Mme Sophie Damey-Groliere
   Chateau de Perrasier
   F-03310 Neris les Bains
   tel: 7003 2245
   e-mail: guitou@imaginet.fr 
   Association Internationale de la Dfense du Skogkatt   
   
   Netherlands
   Noorse Boskattenkring Nederland
   Willem Bosscha
   Dirk Dekkerstraat 3
   1461AH Zuidoostbeemster 
   e-mail 101444.435@compuserve.com

   Spain
   Club Espanol del Bosque de Noruega
   c/Meson de Paredes 58, Esc. 1 Bajo A
   MADRID-28012 
   tel. 91-5391074
   fax 91-4734338 
   
   Europe, elsewhere
   International Skogkatt Secretary
   Paula Swepston
   1, rte. de Prevessin
   F-01210 Ferney-Voltaire
   France
   email 100752.625@compuserve.com

   North America
   NFCFA 
   e-mail nfcfa@aol.com
   
   The Circle's quarterly newsletter, Skogkatten, is now also available
   in English!
   
   I'd like to add addresses to other associations here, please email me! 
   ( bjornst@powertech.no )
     _________________________________________________________________
   
Finding a Breeder

   The best way is to go to a show! This has the added advantage that you
   get to see the cats in person, and talk to the exhibitors and breeders
   to find out more about what the cats are like. If you're not familiar
   with cat shows, you should note that as breeders may be extremely busy
   at the show, they will often leave calling cards on top of the cages -
   pick up a card and phone them later. Also, check the ads in the cat
   fancy magazines- 'Cats' and 'Cat Fancy', for example.
   The online breeder list is a good place to try.
   A long list of breeders in Norway and a few in Sweden is available, as
   well as a list of kittens available from these breeders.
     _________________________________________________________________
   
Breed standard

   The official description says :


HEAD:  Triangular, where all sides are equal.  Long, straight profile
        without break in line. Firm chin.
        ( my note: the _face_ is triangular).

EARS:  High and open, with good width at the base, so that the
lines of the
         ears follow the line of the head down to the chin. With lynx-like
         tufts and long hairs out of the ears.

EYES:  Shape - Large, well opened, slightly oblique.  Alert expression.
Colour - All eye colours allowed, regardless of coat colour.

BODY:  Large and strongly built, long.  Solid bone structure.

LEGS:  High on legs; the hind legs higher than the front legs.

TAIL:  Long and bushy, should reach to the neck.

COAT:  Structure:  Semilong.  The woolly undercoat is covered
by a smooth,
         water repellent overcoat. This glossy hair covers the back and the
         sides. A fully coated cat has a shirtfront, a full ruff and
         knickerbockers.

COLOUR:  All colours allowed ( except pointed patterns and chocolate,
         cinnamon, and fawn - the colors carried by Oriental cat breeds)
         including all colours with white.
         Any amount of white is allowed, i.e. white locket, white on the chest
,
         the belly or a whiteblaice, white on the paws etc.

FAULTS:  Round or square head, profile with a break (stop). Small ears.
         Too small and finely built cats. Short legs, Short tail.
         Dry, knotted coat with lumps.

Scale of points : Type 25
                      Coat    25
                      Head    20
                      Ears    10
                      Tail    10
             Shape of eyes     5
                 Condition     5

Total 100


   
     _________________________________________________________________
   
The Clairs' comparison list:

  THE NORWEGIAN FOREST CAT AND MAINE COON CAT COMPARISON
  
   There is one common bond between the Norwegian Forest Cat and the
   Maine Coon Cat: They both evolved from domesticated cats that lived in
   very cold climates. They are similar, yet very different. Both are
   very intelligent and affectionate, being very people oriented, but the
   Norwegian Forest Cat is more demanding of affection. In appearance the
   Maine Coon is a long cat with a rectangular body and a feral look,
   while the Norwegian Forest Cat is medium in length, more square in
   shape with a sweeter expression. The following is a general
   description of these two breeds, which is based on their (TICA)
   standards and is to be used as a guide only


Norwegian Forest Cat........................ Maine Coon Cat

HEAD
Triangular ................................. Wedge shaped with a
                                             square muzzle

PROFILE Straight ........................... Gentle curve

EYES Almond Shaped.......................... Large, wide open

EARS
Outer edge of the........................... Set high on top of the
ear follows the line ....................... head, not more than
of the head down to......................... an ears width apart
the chin, completing the triangle

BODY Medium in length,...................... Long, rectangular
square in appearance

LEGS Hind legs higher....................... Medium in length
than front legs

TAIL
Long and bushy, as.......................... Long and flowing, as
long as the body ........................... long as the body

COAT
Distinctive double.......................... Silky, shaggy, uneven
coat, long guard ........................... coat with a slight
hairs covering a ........................... undercoat
woolly undercoat

RUFF When mature a ......................... Moderate frontal ruff
profuse ruff develops around the ........... develops around the neck
neck


   
     _________________________________________________________________
   
Famous cats of this Breed

   The most famous has got to be Truls - a magnificent brown mackerel
   tabby with white. He was among those who got the first international
   recognition and was a national celebrity for a while.
   
   Then there is Flatland's Bjrnstjerne, from Denmark, who was FIFe's
   first World Winner.
   
   In 1991, Maineline's Tord , a brown mackerel tabby and white, was
   TICA's International Cat of the Year.
   
   Mjavos Sangueetah of Zazzara, arrived in the US March 29, 1980,
   granded in all four major registries. (Solveig commented that there
   wasn't much competition, after all -- but like me, she didn't know how
   US titles were gained! Competition was quite stiff.)
   
REFERENCES and THANKS!

   The Forest Cat Circle mentioned above, has published an illustrated
   leaflet that is quoted briefly here, it is available in English,
   Francais, Deutsch, and Norsk.
   
   Else Nylund, of Pan's cattery, and Susan Shaw, Nissekatt cattery,
   provided historical information, Steve & Louise Clair gave excellent
   descriptions and comparisons.
   
   Thanks to the people of the Fancier's list for advice, questions and
   suggestions!
   
   please e-mail comments, suggestions, questions to :
   
   
   bjornst@powertech.no


     _________________________________________________________________
 Norwegian Forest Cat FAQ
 Copyright 1996 by Bjorn Steensrud, bjornst@powertech.no
